Scars
by TechnoGecko1826
Summary: People that come from Umbrella are said to be terrible, and even monsters. They cannot be trusted let alone understood. What would it be like to live in the shoes of a person forced to grow up in that environment? What life can be obtained from the eyes of a person, a virologist, and a viral dealer living the shadow of a powerful company? What does it truly mean to be human?
1. Chapter 1

**I have a RE OC I've been wanting to give a back story to for quite some time now. I roleplay as her quite often on tumblr and what not and she's had a lot of praise which I am thankful for. Anyways this story will follow her life from the time she's in Umbrella, up until the planned end I have for her. If you have any constructive criticism I will gladly take it as I would like to make her more solid. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this, and if you are a fan of my Heleon stuff thanks for bearing with me while you wait for the next installment of that. Enjoy!**

The plastic windmill in the girls hands fluttered as she gently blew on its arms. Amazed by the multiple colors being intertwined her green eyes grew wide with fascination. A small smile coming to her face as the arms began to slow down, only to be picked up once more by her breath. Her fingers then stopped it from moving, casually taking in the the almost silky touch of the plastic in her palm as she looked outside the car window. Endless shades of green and blue filled her orbs as she stared around amazed at just how vast the woods were. She had never seen anything quite like it in her short time being alive. Casually unbuckling herself from her seat she leaned over more to where she could see both her mom and dad. Taking her eyes off of the trees for the moment she concentrated on how her mom was holding the steering wheel, gently pushing and twisting it from one side to the other. The girl smiled big as she tried mimicking the same gestures, and even threw in her own sound effects of what she interpreted a car sounded like.

"Beep, beep! Zoom! Out of my way!"

She said cheerfully, getting her parents attention as her mother quickly looked back then focused onto the road. Her dad turned around in his seat and gave her a look before chuckling softly, his right hand reaching back and messing up his daughters hair as she grinned.

"Daddy quit it! You're messing up my mane!"

"Rhiannon for the last time you're not a lioness."

Her mothers soft voice echoed through her ear drums as she gave a sad look. Not before barring her teeth and making low growls causing her mom to casually roll her eyes. Her dad on the other hand merely shrugged and laughed it off until he felt something bite his index finger. He let out something of a mix between a laugh and a screech as Rhiannon fell back into the seat laughing hard.

"You're really being a brat today!"

Her dad remarked as he blew against the sore spot on his fingers. Laughing gently much to his wife's discouragement as she gave a bit of a groan. She had been tired from the long week at work, and was quite stressed. It could be seen in her eyes and even in the way her skin tensed up at Rhiannon's antics. Despite being someone so young, the girl could pick up on the cues from her mother. Almost on instinct she sat back in her seat, fastening the gray belt around her hearing the click of it as she turned her focus back out of the window. She didn't want to upset her mother, and decided to focus back on the colorful scenery that hit her eyes.

It felt like the ride would go on for hours. The young girls perception of time feeling like years had gone by as she scribbled random objects in her coloring book. Though her parents said there was no need to bring it she couldn't help but impulsively have it on her. The excuse was she wanted to draw the trees in person. As she got done drawing what appeared to be a dog she yawned and stretched her small arms feeling like she was going to lean her head back and sleep at any moment until she felt the car come to a halt. Her eyes immediately going from watery and tired, to upbeat and in awe. They had finally arrived at the park.

For the last two weeks Rhiannon had begged them to take her there when they would both get time off of work. To finally be here, and actually have them keep their promise was a miracle in her young eyes as she in a haste opened up the door and ran out. Laughing out loud to the sky as she danced around, so excited and so free. The smell of the earth traveled up her nose as she took in the new scent. It was much different than the city smells she was so accustomed to which was a mixture of gas, concrete and bitterness from the heavy rains that would splash upon the tall buildings. Her little legs carried her off as she began running away from her folks only to be pulled back from her mothers strong grip.

"Rhiannon! Don't wander off without your dad or me, okay?"

Her moms voice made her lunge back a bit as she gave a bit of a pout.

"But I really want to go exploring..."

Her voice, a mixture of a squeak and soft melody traveled from her lips as she gazed at both her parents longingly. Goosebumps traveling up her arms as the anticipation to look around overtook her thoughts. Her dads deep green eyes, much like her own with those shards of blue, stared over at his wife's big blue orbs as he gave a playful shrug. Grinning back down at his daughter, going on one knee as he rubbed her head messing up her hair once more. She giggled uncontrollably as he pulled her into a tight hug and released her, looking at her big eyes with the same excitement she had been keeping pent up.

"Alright Rhi, go get your coloring book and you can go on ahead of me and your mom. That sound good to you?"

The girl nodded rapidly much like a bobble head as she swiftly traveled back to the car almost in skips. Opening up the door and whipping out her book along with her small yellow box of crayons. Clutching the thin book to her chest she began running not before coming near the pathway the family were to take for the tour.

"You'll be right behind me right?"

Rhiannon turned around and shouted over to her parents. Even though she was excited to be on her own and free to look around there was still a basic impulse, a basic drive to make sure she was safe and with her own loved ones. Her small words were greeted warmly by her dad who gave her a signature thumbs up in which she returned.

"Right behind you kiddo!"

She nodded and wandered off, taking off for the heart of the woods. Feeling the brush of wind grace itself upon her skin as she laughed. Her parents gently taking their time as they took slow paces behind their daughter. The mothers eyes looked beyond with concern. There was something eating away at her spine as she saw her daughter become a mere speck within her vision. Her husbands eyes wandered about, glancing to where his daughter ran off too, then back to his wife's baffled expression.

"Hon she's gonna be just fine on her own."

"You sure? You don't think anything is going to happen to her right?"

His eyes rolled casually as he stopped his wife for a moment, pulling her into a long embrace and plating a kiss on her forehead.

"You worry yourself too much. For goodness sake she's six years old and we're in a family friendly park. If you look ahead there are more people. She's perfectly fine. Rhi's got to be able to get out and explore whenever she can. Its important for her to be out in the world especially with her being home schooled and everything."

He let go of his wife gently, intertwining his fingers with her own as they held hands and continued walking. The woman let out a sigh as she shook her head, using her spare palm to rub her forehead for a moment.

"I always arrange play-dates though for her..she gets plenty of chances to explore and have fun with other people."

"Yeah but she needs to be able to breathe in nature. Its not healthy having her pent up in the house all the time doing nothing but study and having us shuffle her around and watching her every move. Just think about it once she hits the teenage years, she'll get annoyed with us always breathing down her neck and she may end up like that Cobain guy we hear on-"

"Patrick it'll be a long time before she's a teenager lets not think about it for now."

The man chuckled and smirked at his wife as her face turned red.

"What? You scared of those years?"

His wife rolled her blue orbs as she let out a nervous laugh, glancing around the park herself as the thought of her daughter being that old came to her. It didn't necessarily scare her, but it did make the woman worry somewhat. Ponder if everything she was doing right now was in her daughters best interest. Her eyes quickly glanced down to her feet for a moment before back to the dirty pathway straight ahead. She then closed her eyes for the moment and smirked.

"Me, scared? Do I look like a sucker to you?"

"No, of course not. But for the record I'm worried about her biting becoming a problem even as she gets older."

"Well it will be your fault if she still keeps it."

"My fault? How the heck is it my fault?"

The man gently laughed as he wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder earning a light chuckle from the woman's lips.

"You encourage that in her. The rambunctiousness. She needs to cut back on it if shes gonna have any normal relationships."

A sigh escaped the man's mouth as he rubbed the back of his neck with the free hand.

"Once more. You worry too much about her. Stop trying to make her in your image and let her be herself. Who knows. Maybe that rambunctiousness will end up helping her one day."

The woman shrugged as they stopped for a moment, her eyes glancing up at her husbands longingly as her features were still plastered with fear. The man gently took her arms and made her wrap them around his neck. She firmly gripped him and shut her eyes tight as he gently stroked his finger tips down her back.

"She's gonna be just fine Vanessa. She's safe, I won't let anything harm her."

Rhiannon kept herself preoccupied on the dirt path, once in a while earning a gaze from other couples and elderly folk around the park. Whispers and comments were spread about her from how cute she was to how adorable her frog sneakers looked on her. The girl merely rolled her eyes somewhat, unamused by the language plaguing her ears every so often. She was but a child, she didn't quite understand why adults found her charming let alone cute. To Rhiannon it was just pure annoyance or in some cases a means to get things she wanted, such as using her pout look earlier to convince her father to let her wander off ahead without her parents ushering her by the sidelines. Some part of her knew it was selfish, as her mother often put things, but she remained absentminded.

She stopped in the middle of the path, coming across a big field of grass. A weird impulse to run through the tall shades of green prompted the little one to sprint. Her laughter radiated through the wind as she felt the blades of the grass whip past her pants, every so often hitting the palm of her left hand as she carried the crayon box and coloring book with the remaining hand. She spun in circles once she reached the middle, dancing almost as she took in a big breath before landing flat on her back. The crayons and book were splayed out on either side of the girls tiny body as she laid down with a thud. Her big emerald eyes looked up to the clouds, seeing different shapes and creatures she often made up in her mind.

"There's a dog, he's being chased by a lizard on top of a car because he stole his muffins he had for his wife.."

She absently mumbled as her fingers pointed up. Though no one could hear her she enjoyed these little moments of talking to herself. Being home schooled, she really didn't have anyone to lend her voice to when she came up with ideas. Her father was about the only person she had shared her imagination with. At times her mom would also be welcomed, but unlike her dad her mother seemed to lack the ability to see the things she envisioned. Rhiannon's guess was that she let her imagination die when she grew up. It was what she assumed would happen to kids once they reached adulthood. Even for one so young and not able to comprehend much, her abstract mind grew scared during the times she would think about it. Rhiannon didn't want to change, she didn't want this world or the one she dreamed of to die once she reached the threshold of adulthood. As she kept on talking to herself, taking a mental note of how the scenery looked around her, she found herself thinking about the possibility of her creative side dying. Giving a bit of a whine she shook and rose up, breathing a bit deeply from rising up too fast.

"No, that's not going to happen. I'll keep seeing that dog and lizard until the day I die!"

She proclaimed, almost with upbeat pride as she quickly pulled her coloring book to her lap and took out a red crayon, flipping to a random page and doodling. This went on about for a few minutes until she had what she considered a dog, a lizard, and a car all scribbled down. She grinned widely thinking that this was probably the best thing she had ever created. Her little fingertips gently reached for another crayon until she felt something slimy and sticky on her skin. In a panic she jumped, and let out a minor scream not before looking down to see what it was. The blue rings around the pupils of green eyes adjusted as squinted as she leaned down farther only to grin as her facial features came to life.

"Hiya froggy!"

She stated, looking down at the amphibian as its rounded yellowish eyes glanced back up at hers before it began hopping off. Rhiannon let out a gasp, as she looked sad to see it leave. She took a moment to leave her coloring book and crayons in their spot, deciding she would come back for them later after she returned with the frog.

"Come back! I want to draw you!"

She said playfully as she began glancing about, looking for any signs of her little companion. She got on her knees, crawling around in search of him. She could feel some mud begin to seep through the fabric of her pants as she adjusted somewhat, coming into an, ironically, frog like position. Her head moved around looking ahead over the tall grass. From a faint distance she could make out her parents and even somewhat hear her mother calling for her to come back over. Rhiannon shot up from her spot and waved over to them, deciding to give up the chase for the frog much to her discouragement. Her parents seemed to be preoccupied with something else as she skipped. She went back to her spot, picked up her book and crayons only to find the little amphibian nestled right by her book. She smiled, leaning down real quick to see it more closely.

"Hello again frog-"

In an instant, the girl found her voice hitched and caught in her throat as she felt herself being pulled up from the ground. Her items were dropped from her hands, almost as if her body went numb and her mind was cold with shock. She could feel the smooth leather of the glove covering her mouth as a gentle whispered hush was registered in her ears. Rhiannon's eyes let out streams of tears out of fear and instinct as her body trembled. Her eyes rapidly moved around trying to register what was going on. She was like a deer in the jaws of a cougar, secretly stalked and now caught within its mouth desperately trying to piece together how it ended up in this hell in the first place.

"You make one scream, one little peep, I'll have both your mommy and daddy killed before you can even shout their names."

The sweet feminine voice rang through Rhiannon's ears as she merely shuddered under the grip of the woman. Her eyes were transfixed upon her parents who seemed to be oblivious as to what was occurring. They were talking to another couple who seemed to have a daughter roughly around her own age. Before she knew it, Rhiannon could feel her legs being dragged rapidly through the dirt before she was picked up. The leather gloved hand was off her mouth, giving her an opportunity to take a much needed gasp as she looked back at her parents, using her strength as she sobbed she screamed.

"Mommy! Daddy! Help me!"

In that instant, the stranger stopped and slapped the girl across the face. The stinging sensation burned her skin as she gripped at the spot where she was hit, only to have her fingers pried away once more being picked up and taken. As the stranger began to struggling with the kicking and screaming girl, her father saw what was going on. In a moment of sheer terror as he watched his daughter being savagely taken away and into the woods his legs out of instinct began carrying him off. A terrible guilt wrenching feeling was beginning to overtake his heart as adrenaline kicked up full speed. It was even quicker than his wives who had to take a few moments to register what was going on until her child's words hit her eardrums. She screamed and shouted her daughters name as her husband and she gave chase, ignoring the other people in the park as the woman took off with his daughter in hand. His deep green eyes could see his daughter reaching out with both her little arms as if wishing he was right there to embrace her. Tears flew past her cheeks as she cried out, her nose becoming stuffy as her screams and pleads for safety began to overpower her throat, straining her small vocal cords as she found her father becoming a mere speck as the woman knocked over several things, creating obstacles for the man trying to save his kid.

Patrick began to pant rapidly, dodging whenever he could to catch up with the kidnapper. His body began to shake heavily from the high pumping through his body as he managed to get closer. Just a little bit more, he thought to himself as he reached his hand out. Rhiannon's little fingers shook as she tried stretching out. This caught the attention of the intruder who immediately turned around and side stepped before tripping her father. Rhiannon let out a scream as Patrick hit his head on the pavement, stunned for the moment as the kidnapper continued to give chase. Soon before the little girl knew it, she was back nearby her parents car only a large black van was parked nearby.

Like an eerie portal being summoned, the back of the van opened as two other men dressed in black grabbed Rhiannon from the kidnapper and tossed her into the back like a rag doll. She let out muffled screams as her tears furiously ran down her eyes. She kicked, she screamed, she bellowed until it hurt to even move as she could feel her arms and legs be tied. One of the strangers grabbed her by the neck finally and looked her dead in the eyes making her body freeze.

"You shut the hell up and be quiet or I'll give you something to cry about!"

Once more, she was tossed as her head slammed into the wall of the van not noticing the other five kids nearby. Each one of them was also tied and bounded. The engine of the vehicle started up as Rhiannon gave one last ill fated attempt to scream for her dad to come save her only to feel the mans fist meet with her face as she let out a frightful gasp. She bowed her head and kept low, slowly feeling the metallic taste of blood upon her tongue as her nose bled profusely. Her sobs echoed throughout the metal walls of the van as a boy next to her gently grasped her hand into his own. Rhiannon froze, almost ceasing breath as she slowly turned and looked over at him. The boys eyes were a deep brown but almost void of any emotion. It was as if his spirit had been sucked from his body and what was left was a shell with a tiny portion of life left.

"Stay quiet. It will be okay. They not so bad if you keep calm like they want."

Without a word she found herself slowing her intake of air as tears stroked down and intermingled with the fluids of her blood. She gulped hard as if a large plug had been clogging up her system. From afar as the van began to drive off she could hear her father screaming at the top of his lungs. His yelling echoed throughout her young eardrums and her fists bundled up into small balls. She wanted to yell, wanted to get up and fight but she kept on replaying what the feminine voice had told her beforehand. That if she made any struggle they would kill her mom and dad, and no matter what, that was something Rhiannon didn't want to happen. She didn't want to lose her parents.

As her father's pleas and bellowing cries for her to come back slowly etched away from her hearing she kept on replaying what the boy had whispered. Maybe, she told herself, maybe if she did what they wanted and kept quiet they would bring her back to her mom and dad. These people couldn't be that bad right? What remainder of her thoughts soon faded as one of the men grabbed her arm and stuck a needle right into her skin. She let out a frightful scream, being terribly afraid of needles since she had to get shots months ago was fresh in her memory. Her small body tensed up, ready for another hit but as her breathing began to slow down considerably, the velvety glove from the perpetrator rubbed over the fresh wound from the shot.

"Shh...its okay baby girl. You're gonna be okay."

Rhiannon gripped at the mans hand as she could feel herself slipping away. Her eyelids began to droop considerably until she could feel her own body become numb, almost painfully tingly however. The best way she could relate the experience was to the time she sat down awkwardly for too long and got that fuzzy feeling in her feet, almost like the static one would see in a TV was how she would visualize the sensation. Once that passed through, the man let go of her arm and soon enough Rhiannon was in a dark void. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, nothing would show up. She was gone momentarily.

Little did she know how everything was going to play out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a warning, this fic is going to have a lot of mature content due to human trafficking material so read at risk. Thanks for the reviews by the way guys to those of you who took the time to write one. Please feel free to give feedback anytime. Hope you enjoy.**

When she started coming too, weeks felt like they had past by but she was still trapped in the back of that van. The metallic and putrid scent was the first thing that woke her up. She glanced around, taking in how many people were in the back with her. The boy from earlier looked on even though he was sickly. Rhiannon mustered up whatever strength she had to crawl over to him. Her face nearly colliding into his shoulder as her body still felt numb, weak. The boy barely even moved during this. It was as if he were a statue, so perfect at being still. Rhiannon's eyes manged to glance up at his own, seeing the almost dark void in his pupils. He managed to curve his lips into a light smile at the young girl, probably just a couple months older than her it seemed.

"How are you feeling?"

He asked gently, his voice calm yet carrying some form of worry. Much like an older sibling would have for his younger counterpart. Rhiannon's head just laid upon his shoulder. She gave up trying to move anymore. Her body was like a rock.

"I—I can barely move. I'm scared."

She muttered, feeling so detached from her body not even her warm tears could be felt upon her cheeks. She didn't tell the boy though that aside from that there was a strange feeling in the pit of her gut, like there were fluttering birds in her stomach and in the back of her skull. Rhiannon then looked over, seeing the two men and the one who gave her the shot asleep. They looked pretty out of it as well as three others kids who were passed out. One nearly looked like she had been dead for weeks though there was still air emitting from her lungs. Rhiannon slightly jumped a bit when a thought occurred to her, was she going to become like that? Did this van have no destination or place to go and they were just going around in an infinite loop until kids like her died? So many questions trampled through her head she barely even noticed the boy adjusting and leaning her head up against the cold metal of the van to support herself better.

The boy carefully began to wipe away at her eyes with his dirty thumbs. Rhiannon could smell the bitterness of dirt still caked under his nails. Maybe he was taken from the park too just like she was. She couldn't feel it, but her face flinched at his touch. After what happened hours or even days beforehand she didn't feel comfortable with any sort of physical interaction. However there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her body was frozen like marble except there was some strange euphoria pounding at her head. She wondered if it was from the shot the man had given her earlier.

"You were asleep for a long time. I think a day or so. I can't tell. They gave you the sleeping medicine that makes you tired. They gave it to me for a while to make me calm down. Don't worry. They aren't going to hurt us. They said they're going to be taking us to new homes since our moms and dads didn't want us anymore."

Rhiannon could barely register what the boy was saying. Every word sounded more and more like a mush of letters being strung out by his lips. It must have been from the stuff that would make her tired, the shot from before. At least according to the boy. The last part of the child's explanation rang through her ears and she couldn't help but look shocked.

"But my daddy—you heard him. He wanted me to come back. He didn't want me gone."

Her head bowed as she managed to scrunch up her knees to her chest. Sobs emitting from her mouth as the boy pat her head gently before he eventually succumbed to the drugs flowing through his veins. His body hit the side of the van with a hard thud as Rhiannon managed to perk up her head just barely.

"Are you sick?"

She asked curiously, the boy cautiously nodded once he saw one of the men moving from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, I think so. But I am going to be okay."

"Let me—help you."

"No—you shouldn't."

"Please just let me."

Her small voice trailed as she leaned over, using whatever strength she had left inside of her to pull the boy up. Her face grimaced, feeling how oily his skin was. The smell from earlier started to come back to her nose, registering the putrid scent from before when she first woken up. It smelled like death, at least that is how her mother would over exaggerate how bad the garbage in the kitchen had smelt when her dad wouldn't take it out. Her eyes carefully looked over him to see a gash in his shoulder. With hesitation, her fingers shook as she lopsidedly pulled back his shirt to see it more. A gasp escaped from her, seeing how tarnished and black the wound appeared to be.

"You're hurt."

"Don't worry about me. They said they are going to fix us when they take us to our new families. That's why they gave me the feel good shots."

"Why did they give me those when I'm not hurt like you?"

The boy slowly pulled Rhiannon's hands away from him once he managed to sit upright again. His head was lightly bumped as the van hit something on the road, causing the vehicle to bounce a little.

"Because you were scared. They don't want you to be scared. So like the other girl with the black hair they gave you that to calm you down. They just don't want you being sad that you're mom and dad don't want you anymore."

There it was again. That cold lie, though it sounded more like a truth given how sincere the boy was.

"You're lying!"

Rhiannon's voice rose a little, causing one of the men to wake up momentarily. He shot her a steep glare, causing her to retreat her body and huddle up closer to her neighbor. The man grumbled before going back into his slumber.

"Why would I lie to you?"

The boy asked sincerely, coughing though once he was finished speaking. His body lurched over before he spilled some thick mucus from his mouth. Rhiannon didn't mean to give a disgusted look, but she couldn't help it. The only time she ever saw anyone that sick was when her dad had the flu. He probably spent a few minutes or two coughing his lungs out, earning a sharp kick from the man who had awakened earlier. He shouted at both Rhiannon and the kid to be quiet, mumbling to himself before resting his eyes. Though he looked like he was out of it, the kids didn't know that he was listening the entire time. A small smirk came to his face in the darkness of the van. How stupid could they be? Then again why not let them keep on continuing this conversation, comfort each other while it lasted. Once they would reach the check point it would probably be a long time before they were granted anything peaceful like this.

"Why would my daddy scream for that lady to stop and let me go?"

Rhiannon asked in a hushed whisper, the boy's eyes rolling a bit as he closed them. He could feel his wound acting up a bit. His hand trembled as he took a hold of one of Rhiannon's small hands, intertwining his fingers with her own. It was the only comfort he had in a long time that is until the men would give another round of the feel good shots.

"It was probably an act to make you feel wanted. They sold you to these people. Came to collect you when your parents no longer needed you. At least that is what mine did."

His voice trailed off, Rhiannon was in a bit of a panic feeling his fingers against hers. She gulped a bit, feeling herself almost choke on her own spit until she stayed still not wanting to get the man upset again with them. She didn't like being yelled at. Her head titled to the side, seeing that the boy was hunched over once more.

"What's your name?"

"Seth. Yours?"

"Rhiannon."

"That's pretty."

"Thank you. Why are you going back to sleep?"

"You ask too many questions..."

The boy mumbled before he once again fell asleep. The weight of his wound and being near starvation was getting to him once more. His hand was still clasping onto the girls. Rhiannon didn't know what to do as her watery eyes glanced about. She took in the surroundings of the van, the little details of the other kids that surrounded her and Seth. She then stared over at the man who was still very much awake. Since his eyes were closed, she took a moment to glare back at him. Nearly mimicking the same expression he gave to her not that long ago. Maybe it would help later if she looked mad, maybe no one would hurt her if she looked fierce.

Her green-blue eyes looked down at Seth and his messy bundle of brown hair. Her hand giving a light squeeze to his own. She refused to believe that her parents would give up so easily on her, that they had this all planned. They loved her too much. At least that is what she assumed. Then again, why would Seth's own parents give him up? Especially to people like this, people that she didn't trust one bit. No matter what the boy had told her, there was something eating at the back of her head not to believe anything they told him, not unless she would hear it from their own mouths. She was but a six year old, words were the only way to confirm things for her but even so she was at the age where she could hear the small differences when someone was lying or telling the truth, courtesy of her own parents when she was denied certain things or items. Seth sounded sincere enough though. He had no reason to lie, but he had no reason to tell the truth either given how sick he was. Perhaps the shot the men gave him gave false memories or perceptions.

She could feel her eyes becoming drowsy once more. Sleep was overtaking her, and soon enough she was lying beside Seth, instinctively scrunching up to him to where she could feel his faint breath ghost across her face. It was the only form of comfort she could obtain during the long drive. Even as she slept her body would rock from the bumps in the road, her mind somewhat wide awake given the shock from being taken away. The only thing she was aware of at the moment was that her parents couldn't help her right now and Seth was the only living soul she could count on. What did she have to lose anyway?

The van made a few stops. Roughly twenty something in total if she had been counting right. The men would get out, meet up with the woman who had picked Rhiannon up like a piece of road kill and then they would trek back eventually. Usually they were gone for a half hour. During that time, the few moments where she could wake up fully, she tried getting the attention of the some of the other kids. The boy and the one girl instantly were cold to her. They absolutely refused to talk. The other girl, the one that Seth referred too earlier who had been given the same medication as them threw an empty syringe at her in retaliation for even coming near. Rhiannon didn't understand why they were being this way to her when she was just trying to be friendly, just her usual self. Maybe they were all just sick, she contemplated on that for a while. The only one that really interacted with her was Seth but he was like a switch. As soon as the men would show back up he would remain quiet, pretend as if she were a ghost and leave it at that until that is the men would take their naps and he'd converse with Rhiannon.

Seth came from Miami in Florida, a very long way from home. That is what she learned. He was born the same year as her but in early January. He had obtained a new puppy from his aunt Merida before he was taken and that was, as he stated, his fondest memory yet. As Seth explained a large portion of his life to her, his story earlier about how his parents wanted him gone was a far cry from what he had said. His mom and dad seemed to dote on him enough. Even getting him a pet! Something Rhiannon could only dream of because her mother was allergic to just about anything that didn't walk on two legs. They both went through the motions for god only knew how many days, sharing things they liked, what kind of schooling they had, anything worth mentioning in the eyes of six year olds. It essentially became their favorite part of the day during the trip, talking to one another when they got the chance. Most of the time they just sat there in the vehicle with silence. Only the occassional wince would escape their mouths when they were injected again with the 'feel good' shots.

During the first couple days or so, the shots made Rhiannon really sick to the point where she threw up several times. The first few incidents she accidentally spewed onto one of the men. The one that glared at her and Seth whom they dubbed affectionately as Glarey because he looked angry all the time. That earned her a hit and even now in the present she could still feel the strong sting from the impact rocking against the side of her head. It was almost like being smacked by a baseball clear to the face, remembering back to when she would play that game with one of the other home school kids like herself. Eventually as she was given more dosages, she became somewhat dependent upon the drugs. If she didnt obtain anything every couple of hours she would shudder. Her body would quake fericely almost as if she had been stung a million times by bees to the point that her body just shut the pain down, leaving no nerves to tell her brain where anything bad was coming from. During these times, Seth would put his arm around her despite how weak he was and would hold her tight so that way she wouldn't bother the others. He also knew all too well how bad it must have hurt inside her mind. How she craved the feel good shots. When he would look at her deep scratches she inflicted upon her arms, it only reminded him of his own addiction to the injections. It even became more important than the men giving them food and water, which they seldom did anyway along with going to the bathroom, but that was another story.

A warm bright light hit Rhiannon's tired and swollen eyes. Dark circles hung undernearth while her pupils stung from the source illuminating from outside the doors of the van. She had been given a shot only within the last hour, so she was still heavily out of it. The words of the adults slurred in and out of her mind as she was led out along with the other kids. Her vision was a grey blur. Colors were mixed up in places they shouldn't have been and time felt slow. Her legs were weak and weary as she shuttled along with the rest of the kids. They all looked like drugged zombies fresh out of their graves, heading to their absolution. The events now were so foggy, she didn't realize that Seth and her were placed in a crate and were thousands of feet above the sky on an airplane. She lost count of how many times she threw up then due to altitude sickness, and how poor Seth would take the messy side so that she had a better place to sleep. Having been use to the drugs, his mind was much more clear. He could sense they going far away. There was no hope in seeing their parents again.

"S-Seth—I want to go home.."

Rhiannon would cry out as the young boy would hold her in his arms and rock her back and fourth, much like he would do to his own sister back home. He saw a lot of her in Rhiannon. It only made him more thankful that the men decided to take him and not his younger sibling. She was always the quicker runner between the two of them and for that he counted his blessings. She was able to get away before they could grab her.

As he hummed a soft melody to Rhiannon, still keeping her face pressed to her chest he started to sob himself. He knew the adults had been lying. He knew the entire time his folks had loved him. He only gave into those horrid lies to keep himself afloat for self-preservation. He had to keep on going if he wanted to see his sister ever again. Several times before Rhiannon showed up he planned on provoking the men into killing him because of the pain he had from his wound, where they shot at him at with a spike to keep him from fighting. He wasn't stupid and knew what the adults were up to for he heard the woman say they would be worth their weight in millions, him and the other kids. They were going to become slaves. He could remember playing games with some of his classmates at school and the loser had to be the slave to the winner for a week, especially in a game like tag. Seth hated it. He had a feeling that this was going to be a hundred times worse though. He could feel it in his gut.

"Rhi don't be scared. I got you. No matter what happens we aren't going to go away from each other. I promise. I'm going to take care of you like you've been taking care of me."

"Seth—I'm sorry I threw up everywhere. It just hurts. Everything hurts. It burns."

Her words were nearly screamed into his skin as he clenched a fistful of her hair tightly, pressing his soft lips to her forehead letting her know he understood. They didn't know the definition of a withdrawl, but they were sure feeling the effects of one. Rhiannon shuddered violently, her eyes shooting up as she could hear the other kids groan and whimper. One of the crates even rattled from the black haired girl attacking the only other boy aside from Seth. His screams echoed throughout the cargo port of the airplane. Other voices and yells came from outside. There was more than just the six of them. There had to be at least a whole classroom worth of children stuck in the same dire situation as them. It didn't matter to Rhiannon though. Due to her withdrawls and the still lingering high she had felt, they sounded like monsters. Their whimperings and sobs an endless loop of growls and suffocating roars. They were like animals trapped at a zoo from poachers. It radiated through her mind so much that it even hurt to close her eyes and sleep. Seth's words could only do so much to tamper down the helplessness she was feeling. It was only when she looked through the cracks of the wooden crate that she made eye contact with another girl who looked determined. She gave Rhiannon a simple nod and it was enough to make her stop crying and focus on Seth's calming words.

When they touched the ground, she had no idea where they were at. The smell from the air was way different than the musky sweet scent she was use to in Milwaukee. The atmosphere was more humid and suffocating in a sense though the earthy texture from the particles lingering up her nose made her feel some sort of security. It was odd but made her feel like she was almost going back to the park, going back to nature. During this transition from the crates and into the new van, they were blindfolded. More adults could be heard in the bigger vehicle. Given the roaring sounds emitting from the outside of the trailer, Rhiannon assumed they were in a truck like the big ones her uncle Kenny use to drive for a company he worked for.

She stayed close to Seth at all times during this ride, especially when the truck made a stop and one older girl, probably twelve years old, from the plane was taken out who had been yelling at the adults her parents were going to get them back for everything. Rhiannon could hear the adults laughing on the otherside after they slammed the door shut, and the girl screaming at the top of her lungs once they yanked her outside. It was so horiffic she could only imagine what was going on to her, assuming she was being beaten. When the girl was tossed back into the truck, she was dead silent the rest of the trip. Rhiannon could only make out a little bit visually what the girl looked like but as soon as those piercing hazel eyes made contact with her, she remembered who this person was. It was the same girl who had that look in her eyes, the one that had hope. Whatever light she had in those eyes however had yielded. Rhiannon's mouth was a gape as she stared at her, not to be rude but just out of fear that someone as fierce as that girl looked could be broken by the adults just taking her out of the truck for a while.

Seth took notice, and wrapped his arms around Rhiannon so tight she could feel her chest wheeze from the contact. He had a bad feeling about this, catching onto what was going on. He could somewhat deduce what had happened, having heard similar horfific things happen to girls on the news. He didn't know the word for it though but he wasn't going to let that happen to Rhiannon. No. She was just like his sister and he would go down swinging if they were to take her away from him. Luckily that wasn't the case but as some of the boys and girls, especially the elders, grew more impatient and voltile against the adults they too were given the same punishment. The truck finally stopped after several grueling hours and the children were lined up single file. Rhiannon and Seth had no idea what to expect now. Fear crept up their spines as they were led out like pigs to a slaughter. They held each others hands tight as if this was going to be their last night on earth. For the first time, Rhiannon could feel how scared Seth was by how his fingers quivered against her small fingers. She had a terrible feeling for what was to come.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for those of you who have left me some good feedback. I really appreciate it. Don't be a stranger and let me know what I need to work on. Next update probably won't be for a while but I'm going to try once a week, at least until my college term is over.**

The kids were lead through an intricate path through alley ways, streets, and even at one point sewers to avoid public attention. Rhiannon hated the smell. She dreaded feeling the pocket of blisters already starting to stain the skin of her small feet that were damp from the murky water she had to tread through. The one comfort she had was feeling Seth's hand still clinging onto hers but barely now at this point. The long walk was tiring, and with an injury that hadn't been properly taken care of, he was growing more and more weak . She hoped they would make it to wherever the adults were taking them soon. Hopefully, their new families would make sure Seth would be going to a doctor. In the meantime she tried to keep his spirits up, much like he was doing for her the entire trip. It was hard though for Rhiannon to concentrate on him, due to how sick she felt. Several times she wanted to stop walking and squeeze out whatever contents were left in her stomach, but the fear of getting picked off by one of the men outgrew the want.

Eventually the line of kids made it inside of a building or at least the back part of one. The interior was much more nice. The smells tolerable and even exotic as Rhiannon's nose could pick up the scent of fresh cut wood radiating from the walls. For a brief moment, Rhiannon thought she was back at the park. Sadly though as the memory quickly faded the adults began to converse off to the sidelines. The kids were hardly there mentally or if they were aware of anything much like Rhiannon was, they barely took their eyes off of the larger bodies. Though they were relieved to not be walking anymore, their feet tired and stiff from the journey, what was to come crept up their spines. Rhiannon, still holding onto Seth's hand tilted her head slightly and looked over taking notice of an array of doors nearby. Each one had a small ramp next to them. Where they all led to was unknown but there was something inside her gut telling her to be cautious.

"We lost quite a few on the Argentina flight. I'm not sure how we are going to make up the supply and demand on that side."

One of the men from earlier in the truck stated, and the woman who had kidnapped Rhiannon began to speak up among the group. There were probably a good twenty of them now all huddled up together from the looks of things. Rhiannon kept her ears open among the cries of some children, trying to figure out what the hold up was.

"Well we can't keep them all waiting. Our patrons clients are waiting on the otherside of those doors. The auction is going to be happening in the next half hour. Just improvise if you must. Next time use the drugs sparingly. The majority from the report I received earlier looked like some of your men OD'd them with too many dosages. Rememeber, they only need enough until they board the flight. Be sure to discipline whoever screwed the cargo up before the plane landed here."

The man nodded, to which he was then intercepted by another.

"Ma'm what are we to do about the two companies Tricell and Umbrella? Don't you think its odd they wish to purcahse product directly from us? Also shouldn't we consider giving them leeway in regards to buying one of these?"

He gestured to the kids, making Rhiannon's small eyebrows furrow into a glare. Why weren't they being called kids? What was a product? Weren't they going to new families? Was anyone ever going to explain themselves as to why they were all here? She could feel some sort of anger rushing through her head out of frustration. A light sneer escaped from her lips but was quickly silenced by Seth rubbing her back affectionately. He didn't want the adults having sort of excuse to disicpline her like they did to the other girl from earlier on in the truck.

"Why should we give a fuck about them? Sure its odd that such prestegious companies would be caught in a trafficking market of all things, but they won't be getting any special treatment. They will have to play by the rules of how the auction works just like everyone else."

"How many did they wish to look at again?"

The woman rubbed the back of her neck, looking a bit fierce before her eyes gazed upon the kids. When she came upon Rhiannon's bright green orbs, noticing the blue around her pupils a faint smik came to her. Rhiannon just stared, almost doe eyed. She was like a small mouse looking into the eyes of a cobra in this moment as fear paraylzed her. There was something about the way that woman looked at her that made her skin crawl. Maybe because it was her fault Rhiannon ended up here in the first place, the woman having been the one to snatch her from the safety of her parents. She didn't know, but in that brief stare they shared together, she already guessed maybe she was one of the 'products' those companies wanted to look at. She didn't quite understand what a company was, just knew it was associated with work, much like her mother had.

"Only a select few. They were quite picky, only four out of this lot matched the blood type, sex, and traits they were looking for."

The woman's eyes seemed to scan around looking at each of the kids that were one of the four she had talked about. Seth managed to pick up on what was going on and he squeezed Rhiannon's hand. Sweat covering his palms and forehead as he looked over at her, meeting the girls gaze. He shook his head firmly when Rhiannon's tired eyes met his own. She was so scared he could feel her skin tremble.

"Rhi—don't worry. I'm going to protect you."

Seth managed to whisper hoarsely to her. It was so low pitched the girl barely could register the words as they flowed into her echoing ears. The kidnapper turned her focus inwards towards the men, having her back turned to Rhiannon once more as the adults words began to come to a hush.

"Tanya, there's still quite a few sick from the US cargo. With your permission I can take those ones back to the compound where they can be treated and sold at a later time to the auction coming up next month."

The woman gave a firm shake with her head.

"No, they aren't worth it. We already have more than plenty of product still at the main compound being treated. Supplies will dwindle if we take an additional ten to fiffteen back to be taken care of. We can't risk the ones we already have."

"What do you suggest?"

"Get rid of them, and keep it contained. Bring the four over here so we can get them prepped up for the private auction since the Umbrella and Tricell representiative have arrived. Don't forget to make sure they are througholy given the right amount of dosages, the kids. Same thing goes for the rest of the product. We can't risk one trying to make a beeline like last time."

Her command was firm however Rhiannon nor Seth were able to pick up on it. One of the men that the children didn't encounter during the trip went over to them. He sighed a bit, offering what appeared to be a sincere smile.

"Some of you are going back home to your mommys and daddys. They want you again. You six over there towards the back starting with the boy and ending at the girl come forward."

It took Rhiannon a moment to realize that the first boy the man was referring to was Seth. They quickly exchanged glances as he hesitately let go of Rhiannon's hand, only for her to latch onto it while the other kids quickly went over to the mans side. Their hopes of joy that the nightmare was over lingered in each of their swollen eyes.

"Seth—don't go. Don't leave me."

Rhiannon pleaded.

"My mom and dad want me again though. Rhi I said I was going to protect you and I mean it but I have to go home. I have to see my sister again. I promise I'm going to come back for you. When I get home I'm going to get help."

"Y-you promise me?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

The girl had tears escaping from the corners of her eyes as she could now feel herself being yanked away from Seth, albiet gently from another adult as the boy was taken by the hand and led towards the other six. Rhiannon gave in though as Seth turned around and managed to give her a smile. It was the first one that felt real, more sincere coming from him since they first met in the van. She offered a slight grin back as Seth mouthed a goodbye. Though she was scared of what was coming, Rhiannon felt like she could count on Seth's word. Also maybe the adults were not lying at all. She just couldn't understand why her mom and dad wouldn't want her, and what caused Seth's parents to change their mind.

Worry faded when she was escorted towards the other three kids the woman Tanya refered to. The fear of being one of them somewhat diminished, however Rhiannon recalled the way Tanya looked over at her. How carnal that smile of hers looked when her gaze traveled and pierced the little ones eyes. The other kids were grouped up, standing single file and awaiting further instruction by another adult. As Rhiannon and the other three were led on by Tanya to one of the doors ahead, the girl registered something. A sharp click followed by loud pops radiated through her ears along with some screams coming from the others who were quickly silenced by being yelled at and then once more, injected with shots or the feel good medicine. Some kids even began to take off, running around in circles not knowing where to go as more adults began to show up in order to give chase , almost like trying to capture multiple chickens with their heads cut off.

Rhiannon quickly turned around to see where it was coming from, where all the commotion had stemmed. Her eyes widened at the sight of blood pooling from up ahead. Several bodies of the kids who were suppose to be going home were lying cold and lifeless in the crimson puddle. Seth was one of them. His hand reached outwards though, eyes with what little life were left inside looking over at Rhiannon as she could only watch with horror inflating within her pupils. Another click, and one last surprise escaped the cold metal tubing of the gun and pierced through Seth's skull. Bits of bone intermingled with fluids from his brain trailed around the ever growing ocean of red that emitted from the soulless bodies of her peers.

"Seth!"

Rhiannon screeched as she rushed tried rushing over towards his body. Her hands reaching outwards as if trying to embrace him. Several adults chased her but she dodged and dipped out of the way, even causing a couple to trip.

"Seth! Oh my god Seth!"

She screamed, nearly choking on her own mucus and spit while tears flowed from her eyes. Her legs eventually gave way and she collapsed. Her small hands rummging through her hair as her body nearly went into shock. She had never seen anything so grisly in her entire life. It was as if some sort of mental wall protecting her telling her things only like this happened in the movies shattered into a million shards in that single moment as her head kept on replaying the bullet penetrating Seth's head and how terriffied he looked.

"Seth!"

She managed to screech out yet again as one of the adults picked her up and nearly dragged her back. She struggled though, not caring anymore at this point. They were all liars. Every single one of the adults here were. They were going to hurt her, that much was certain.

"Let me go! You said his parents wanted him again! You said he was going home! You lied! You lied! Why did you lie?!"

Her throat was nearly strained as she screamed out question after question only to not receive a single reply as she was handed off to Tanya who grabbed her by the hair tightly, causing her to yelp.

"I thought I told you idiots to keep it contained!"

The woman shouted, causing the man behind the gun to cower somewhat as his voice stuttered out.

"I'm sorry ma'm but one of the products caught on early and we had to silence him before he provoked the others, the brat we just shot again."

Rhiannon took this moment to punch and kick at the woman, even going far enough to bite her leg hard as she wrapped her arms around the woman's pants. A fire was leaking out from her small body as she continued the assault, causing Tanya to be taken aback by this. She hadn't seen such a temperment from a young girl before as she bucked and tried kicking her off. It was only when she had some assistence did they get Rhiannon off but that didn't curb the screaming or the flailing. Nor did it destroy the chaos in her eyes and how she looked at Tanya, glaring so furiously as more tears cascaded down her face it was almost the same expression the woman had given to her: like gazing into the dephs of a snakes eyes.

"You're going to pay for lying one day. I'm going to make you sorry!"

Rhiannon yelled, hitting her small bundled fist into one of the men before she was restrained. Tanya merely looked over the girl then back to her leg, pulling up her pants some. A bruising was already showing up where Rhiannon had bitten her, even small imprints of her teeth were already showing through. The woman's feline like eyes deadlocked with Rhiannon's.

"I'd love to see you try."

Her voice was venomous as she then grabbed Rhiannon by the hair once more, tugging at it to the point where if the girl even remotely thrashed about, her hair would have been literally stripped clean from her scalp. Tanya then was handed a shot and jabbed it into the mourning girl's arm, not caring if she hit the vein correctly or not. Rhiannon screamed out as the needle was pressed firmly into her, the cold rush of the full dosage of the liquid coursing through her body causing her to fall down. Her eyes felt so heavy, it was even quicker than the last time she received a feel good shot. Her nerves began to go numb but in a more painful manner and soon her world faded to black.


End file.
